What I learned selling 2,500 MIDI recorders: Hardware is not so hard

# Hardware is not so hard Source: [https://chipweinberger.com/articles/20260719-hardware-is-not-so-hard](https://chipweinberger.com/articles/20260719-hardware-is-not-so-hard) ## What I learned selling 2500 MIDI recorders, part 1: Hardware is not so hard July 19, 2026A[year and a half ago](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42082430), I launched[Jamcorder](https://jamcorder.com/)\. A Jamcorder, in situ\.It marked the completion of two life goals of mine\. First, I finally had the piano recording device I’d always wanted: a fully automated device that captures everything I play, no human\-involvement required\. And second, after a career in software, I got to build hardware\. It was super fun\. 2500 units have already been sold, and counting\And it’s able to stand on its own feet as a business\. In my eyes, that’s a success\. For my first blog post, I want to reflect on the biggest surprise I encountered creating Jamcorder\. A selection of prototypes, from the first prototype to the first pre\-production unit\.Coming from a career in software, I expected building hardware to be the hardest part\. After all,*hardware is hard*\. That’s the saying, right? Electronics design, plastics, manufacturing, fulfilment, component shortages, etc, etc, etc\. I expected these & more to make hardware hard\. But,*it wasn’t*\. To refine the process, I hand assembled the first 500 units myself\. It took 4 days\. Unexpectedly, everything went completely smoothly and I made no changes\. Yes, really\.I kept waiting for something to get me by surprise\. A scrapped production run \(my worst nightmare\)\. Or component sourcing issues, perhaps? It never happened\. \(Though Trump’s tariffs were a close call\)\. The hardest part of building Jamcorder was still, by far, the software \-\- roughly 200K lines of code spread across the firmware, app, and manufacturing tooling\. It took over 3 years and many long nights in a pre\-LLM world\. When compared to that, the hardware was undeniably smooth sailing\. For the record, I don’t think I’m special\. It’s just that hardware’s reputation for being difficult is, IMO, overstated\. Now, granted, Jamcorder is \-\- very much intentionally \-\- a simple device\.*I get that*\. The Jamcorder PCB\. 25 unique components\. The MIDI connectors are made to order, everything else on the PCB is off\-the\-shelf\.Assembly is just a single screw, for a single PCB\. The injection mold has generous draft, no slides\. I cut low battery detection, ambient light detection, the power\-button, even USB\-C\. All these things kept Jamcorder simple\. I’m also under no illusion that 2500 units is a lot by most standards\. But you know what?*The hardware side would have been easy regardless\.* Don’t get me wrong\. If Jamcorder was 10x more complex, or 100x more scale, that would be a different story \(and a very popular product\!\)\. Or if I was trying to compete in the smartwatch market, or the car market, or any number of very established industries with low margins,*good luck*\. But for me the take away still is: “hardware is as hard as you make it”\. If you’re thinking about building a hardware product & have a way to protect your margins, don’t let building hardware scare you\. It’s not as hard as the saying goes\. POSTSCRIPT I don’t want to end this article without some practical take\-aways\. So here are my top recommendations for successfully shipping hardware that worked for me at medium scale: 1. Keep your BOM simple\. Avoid single\-manufacturer components wherever possible\. 2. Avoid complex assembly and calibration\. 3. Partner with a Chinese assembly house and suppliers\. Alibaba is your friend\. 4. Aim for at least 70% gross margin or more\. 5. Keep your company lean\. Scaling hardware is slower\. 6. Have a strong anti\-counterfeit strategy\. Don’t overlook this\. 7. Do final Q/A in\-house & hold finished inventory locally\. 8. Request samples before every production run\. 9. Write a step\-by\-step manufacturing & assembly guide with pictures\. 10. Keep your packaging small\. A value dense product makes everything easier\. Me dropping off the first 100 units at the post office\. A good day\!